Just a Few Hours From Beijing, Walk Into One of the Great Bronze Age Capitals of the Ancient World Beijing can easily consume an entire first trip to China. The: Forbidden City. Great Wall. Temple of Heaven. Summer Palace. Ming. Qing. Imperial China everywhere. But Dad has another slightly dangerous suggestion. 😂 TAKE THE TRAIN SOUTH. From Beijing, high-speed rail can bring you to: Anyang (安阳, Ānyáng) in Henan Province (河南省, Hénán...
We stopped overnight in Handan on our way from Beijing toward the UNESCO ruins of ancient Shang at Anyang. We visited Congtai, took our photographs and continued south. Only later did I realize just how badly I had underestimated this city. 😂 This Deep China story begins with a confession. When Elaine and I visited: Handan — 邯郸 (Hándān) we weren’t making a great historical pilgrimage to the ancient State of Zhao....
Section 1 — You Came to Jinan for the Springs. Good Place to Start. Take the: high-speed train (高铁, gāotiě) south from: Beijing (北京, Běijīng) and before long you can be in: Jinan (济南, Jǐnán), capital of: Shandong Province (山东省, Shāndōng Shěng). For a first-time international traveler, Jinan may not have the instant name recognition of: Beijing, Xi’an or: Shanghai. But ask many Chinese travelers what Jinan is famous for and one...
Five Stops, Five Big Questions — A China History Journey Through Jinan, Mount Tai, Qufu, Linzi and Dezhou Section 1 — We Left Beijing Looking for Shandong. Then the Museum Gave Us a Map Through Chinese History. For many first-time international travelers, a China trip begins with: Beijing (北京, Běijīng). And that’s a very good place to begin. The: Forbidden City (故宫, Gùgōng) shows you imperial power. The: Temple of Heaven (天坛,...
Section 1 — You Came to Climb a Mountain. Emperors Came for Something Much Bigger. Take the train south from: Beijing (北京, Běijīng) toward: Tai’an (泰安, Tài’ān) in: Shandong (山东, Shāndōng), and one mountain begins dominating the historical landscape: Mount Tai (泰山, Tàishān). For modern travelers, the attraction is obvious. A famous mountain. Ancient stairways. Temples. Stone inscriptions. Sunrise from the summit. And: a serious amount of climbing. 😂 难如登天 (nán rú...
Section 1 — You Came to Dezhou. Look in TWO Directions. By the time Dad & Elaine reached: Dezhou (德州, Dézhōu), our Shandong journey had already become rather complicated. 😂 At: Mount Tai (泰山, Tàishān) we asked about: Heaven (天, tiān) and imperial legitimacy. At: Qufu (曲阜, Qūfù) we met: Confucius (孔子, Kǒngzǐ) and asked how ideas became institutions. At: Linzi (临淄, Línzī) we entered the world of: Qi (齐国, Qí Guó)...
Planning a trip to China and have a question? FREE ChinaTravelBUG AI-assisted Travel Planner It can help with questions like: Already have an itinerary? Paste it in and ask: “What would you change?” You don’t need to phrase your question perfectly. Just ask naturally, like you would ask another traveler. Big Question or Small Question — Ask Away From planning your itinerary to solving a small travel problem, ask whatever you need to...
“Want to understand Chinese food? Don’t start in a restaurant. Start in a market.” We Didn’t Expect a Morning Market to Become One of the Highlights of Chengdu When people think about Chengdu, they usually picture giant pandas, spicy hotpot and the famous giant panda climbing the IFS shopping mall. Those places are wonderful. But they don’t necessarily tell you how Chengdu actually lives. Elaine and I have developed a little travel habit...
Ask almost anyone planning their first trip to Chengdu (成都, Chéngdū) and you’ll hear the same list. See the giant pandas. Eat hotpot. Visit 宽窄巷子 (Kuānzhǎi Xiàngzi). Walk 春熙路 (Chūnxī Lù, Chunxi Road). Take a selfie with the famous panda climbing out of the IFS shopping mall. We did all that too. But strangely enough… One of my favourite memories of Chengdu wasn’t any famous attraction. It was simply walking back to our homestay every evening through Jinniu District...
“Sometimes the city that changes your understanding of a country isn’t the one you planned to visit most.” If you’ve been reading ChinaTravelBug, you’ll probably notice something. We write a lot about Beijing (北京, Běijīng). We write even more about Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān). Those two cities have become the anchors of our China journeys. Beijing tells the story of imperial China, while Xi’an takes us back to where many chapters of Chinese civilisation first began....
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